There are a number of prior techniques for burning coal ranging from shoveling coal into the fire box of a boiler and pulverizing coal and spraying the pulverant through a nozzle into a furnace, to grating and fluid bed combustion techniques, these latter techniques enabling combustion of the greatest amount of product on a large scale. However, there are problems with the grate and fluid bed combustion techniques, namely the large amount of pollutants going up the stack, the difficulty in controlling the combustion, certain inefficiencies in removing heat from the relatively open combustion chamber and control of temperature. Another difficulty encountered with coal combustion is the transportation and handling of the coal including particularly delivery of the coal to the combustion chamber, often a messy and breakdown-prone experience.